


Weak Peroneus Longus

by EJwrites



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 15:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8290915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EJwrites/pseuds/EJwrites
Summary: Shay has been working at a gym ever since she moved to San Francisco.  Cosima is a long time client of that gym and has asked Shay out before.  She got turned down because Shay doesn't date where she works.  Then comes a new client, Delphine.  Everything changes for the three of them as they get to know each other better.





	1. Nice to Meet You

Shay jogged around the gym checking in on her one p.m. batch of clients. They were all doing fine; two of them paid her just to spot for them, two were younger people who just needed someone to verbally kick their ass at the end, and one was an old lady who forgot her regimen sometimes and needed a reminder of what she was supposed to be doing.

It was a pretty easy start to her afternoon.  Later she had only two clients, but one of them was new. She wasn’t nervous per se, but the file said she was a woman about her age and her name sounded really French.  It was going to be a very difficult task not gaying it up.  Probably.  She might be an asshole.  Who knew?

It was a quarter to the hour so she went and yelled at her two clients.  Something along the lines of being, “This close to being the best they could be,” or some other bullshit.  It’s not that she didn’t believe what she was saying, it was just it was the cheesiest way possible to say it.  When they were done, she got them stretching.

She went and got the old lady off the stationary bike.  Got her stretching.  

The muscle men were already gone.

Nice.

She went to the front desk to check them all out.  She slowed when she saw a gorgeous woman standing there talking to Lana, the receptionist on Tuesdays.  She didn’t want to make her feel pressured so she waited a few paces back.

Lana clicked a few boxes on the computer and said, “Okay Delphine, you’re all set!  The locker room is right there,” she pointed to her left, “And I’ll let Shay know that you’re here.”

The tall, blonde, drop-dead beautiful woman nodded shyly and disappeared into the locker room.  

“Is that my new two o’clock?” Shay asked in disbelief.

Lana nodded, “Yeah.  You done with your others?”

“Uh huh,” Shay muttered distractedly.   _ Shit.  She’s hot. _

Lana checked more boxes.  It seemed like that’s all she did, it’s not like anybody called when everything could be done online.

“What’s her name again?” Shay asked.  She wanted to say it right.  Because of professionalism.  Yeah.

“Del-phine,” Lana enunciated very clearly.

“Yes?” a soft voice called from behind Shay.

She spun around, a blush already starting in her cheeks.  “Hi!  I was just, um.  You know...”

Lana stepped in, thankfully, “She was asking who’s life she was about to change,” she said with a fake customer service smile.

Shay rolled her eyes and extended her hand.  “Hi, I’m Shay.  I’ll be your personal trainer.”

“Delphine,” she said and took Shay’s hand, “Enchanteé.”

“Nice to meet you too.  Why don’t you come this way and we’ll get you started on some workouts.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile.

Shay led Delphine through the maze of weight machines and past the rows of treadmills to the corner with the floor mats.  When she got to them she flopped down in the middle.  “We’re going to start with some light stretching and you’re going to tell me exactly what it is you want out of me.”

Delphine laughed a little and sat gingerly across from Shay.  “Well,” she started and mimicked the leg stretch Shay was showing her, “I spent a good portion of the last few months with my leg in a cast.”

“Oh, no!” Shay gasped sympathetically.

“Yeah, and then I was moving.  So I kind of neglected going to the gym.”

Shay nodded, switched stretches, and asked, “France, right?”

Delphine blushed, “Yes, how could you tell?”

“Just a hunch, Cormier,” she teased, “How long have you been in the states?”

“About a month.”

“Oh wow.  You got back on the wagon way faster than I did.”  Shay switched the stretch up again.  Delphine was impressively flexible for someone who hadn’t been exercising for a few months.  And Shay was only noticing because... It was part of her workout.  Sure.

“Really?” Delphine asked, sounding offensively surprised.

“What?” Shay challenged playfully.

Delphine laughed, “I just assumed trainers, such as yourself, would shrivel up and die if they didn’t get a good workout in.”

Shay cackled.  “Alright, I’m going to pretend that that’s not offensive because it’s mostly true.”

They stretched in silence until they were done.

“Loose enough?” Shay asked.

Delphine nodded.

“So, you’re looking to work that leg and get back into shape?”

“Basically.  I want to start running again.”

Shay nodded.  “I can do that.  Where was your leg broken?”

Delphine gestured to a few inches above her knee, “Here down.”

“Jesus.”

Delphine shrugged, “I got hit by a car.”

“Yikes,” she shuddered sympathetically.  “We’ll start by getting some baselines.”

Shay led Delphine around the gym putting her on different machines and showing her a bunch of leg exercises.  She had to keep reminding her to not push herself too hard.  She left her on the elliptical to go take care of her other client.  He didn’t really need her.  She was okay with that.  

When she returned, Delphine was almost completely pink and sweaty.  “Ready for a cool down?”

“Dieu merci!” Delphine breathed and jumped off the machine as fast as was possible.

Shay set her up on the treadmill at a walking pace and leaned against the console.  “So, I’ll take your baselines and build you a workout for next week.  You can come in anytime during the week and do it, you just don’t get your cute sidekick.”

Delphine giggled.  “I don’t know if I could handle it without her.”

Shay blushed.   _ She thinks I’m cute.   _ “Okay.  When you feel cool enough, you can hop off and do whatever you need to.  There’s showers in the locker room.  There’s a steam room and a pool upstairs if you want.”

Delphine nodded.  “Thank you, Shay.”

Shay shrugged.  “It’s my job.”

“See you next week?”

“I’ll be here,” Shay said with a grin.  

She left her to finish on her own and walked up to the front desk to check her out and meet her next client.  He wasn’t there yet so she stayed and talked to Lana.  She of course didn’t care about anything Shay had to bring up.  

She caught sight of Delphine as she was leaving.  She was wearing sweatpants and a big hoodie, which looked super soft, and her hair was out of the ponytail and into a really cute messy bun.  Delphine didn’t see her as she walked so Shay just looked, a little creepy she thought to herself, but she was curious about this cute French lady.  

Had she been flirting?  Because Shay had felt herself being a little flirty without meaning to.  She was probably just being friendly.  She was probably straight.  And even  _ if  _ she had been flirting it didn’t matter.  She was technically Delphine’s employee and while the gym itself didn’t have any specific rules on this, she herself did.  

But damn was she cute.  Hot.  Totally her type.  

This was going to be interesting.


	2. Hello Again

“Hey, hot stuff.”

Shay startled and turned around.  She was greeted with the sight of Cosima, her friend.  Well, a friend-type person.  Cosima hit on her and Shay was totally into it except for the fact that months ago Shay had decided she was against dating people she met at work.  She was now too stubborn to admit that she regretted that decision but liked the banter.

“Hey, Cosima.  How are you today?” she asked, genuinely concerned.  Cosima had caught a pretty nasty virus a few weeks ago and had had trouble breathing ever since.

“Much better now that I’ve seen you,” Cosima laid the charm on and looked at her through her eyelashes.

Shay shook her head and smiled.  “Oh, you,” she chuckled.  “But seriously, your lungs are doing better?”

Cosima waved her hands in front of her, as she was prone to do, “Yeah, yeah, way better.  I’m running at like ninety percent.  How’ve you been?  I feel like I haven’t see you in years.”

“I’ve been good.  Just working and all that stuff.”  She shrugged.

“Nothing interesting has happened?  No clients from hell?  No stories of crazy injuries?” she asked, sounding appalled.

They laughed briefly.  “No... Well, the only new client I have came in yesterday.  She’s pretty cool, I guess.”

“Ooooh, she?  When does she usually come in?  I might have to change my schedule around.”

“You’re going to change your entire schedule around based just on the fact that she uses she/her pronouns?” Shay asked incredulously.

“Hmm.  Maybe.”

“You don’t need any more information?”

Cosima laughed.  “I’m not picky.  Unless you want to tell me everything you know about her?”

Shay snorted.  “I mean she’s cute, but... I think she’s straight.”

“How sure?  Because I have been known to make some girls realize their sexualities,” Cosima laughed.

“Yeah, right,” Shay responded sardonically.  Cosima was cute, funny, and nice but Shay couldn’t see anyone dropping their heterosexuality to date her.  Maybe she was a little biased.  Thinking about someone else dating Cosima set her teeth on edge.  For absolutely no reason at all.  She didn’t have a right to be angry.  Even though she’s  _ not  _ angry.  “I have work to do, Cassanova,” she teased to hide her weird, unsettling feelings of unwarranted jealousy.

Cosima pointed at her and started walking backwards, “Davydov!  Gonna change some lives!” she called after her.

Shay shook her head and walked back to her client.  Unfortunately, Cosima was not one of hers.  Which was unfortunate because she usually only wore a sports bra and the shortest shorts available in the athletics department in any store.  Her wonderful, toned muscles almost completely exposed and sweaty.....

She shook her head to clear out the totally unprofessional thoughts that were making her belly tight.

Cosima wasn’t anybody’s client.  She came in on an irregular schedule, ran, swam, or whatever tickled her fancy that day, and left. 

Shay went about finishing off her last client.  She was off at six, but she was hoping that this guy would leave early.  She was hungry and her hamstring was feeling a little tight.  She just wanted to make dinner and curl up in her tub for the evening.

The guy wasn’t cooperating.  He went about ten minutes over.  Oh, well.  She punched out and went into the employee locker room to change.  She came out in some fresh sweat pants.  At least something they were more appropriate for running around town than her workout clothes, which consisted of a muscle tank and shorts.  It was fall so it was getting chilly, but Shay was from Canada so it wasn’t too bad to her.  She just didn’t want to talk to every well-meaning San Francisco native over the age of sixty to ask if she needed a coat.

Cosima caught her on her way out of the other locker room.

“Hey!” Cosima called to her and jogged to catch up.

“Hey, that was a quick workout for you.  You sure you’re doing okay?”

Cosima shook her head.  “So not what I wanted to talk about,” she said with a laugh.

“Fine,” Shay faked being exasperated, “What did you want to talk about?”

“What are you doing tonight?” she asked as she pushed the button for the elevator.

Shay sighed, “Cosima, we’ve been over this...”

“Whoa.  I’m asking as a friend.”

“I’m just going to pick up some stuff for dinner and relax.  Why?” Shay appeased.  The elevator arrived at their floor and they let the passengers off before getting in.  She pressed the button for the ground floor.

“Well, I just handed in the latest draft of my dissertation today.  I have a life for the next couple of days while it gets proofread.”  She shrugged and looked down, “I wanted to spend my few days of freedom hanging out with people I have been putting off hanging out with.”

Shay put on a show of deliberating for a few seconds.  The elevator doors opened on the main floor.  They moved out, letting the new people on.  “I guess I could relax tomorrow night... What did you have in mind?”

Cosima shrugged.  “The Chinese place down the street has a pretty good deal tonight.  My treat.  If you want.”  They stopped in front of the entrance, not ready to leave quite yet.  Cosima wrung her hands.

“That sounds nice,” she said.  “If you’re paying, I’ll drive?”

“Great!  That works out because I kind of don’t have a car.”

“I thought you were getting it fixed!” Shay scolded as she pushed the door open, letting Cosima go out in front of her.

“I am a broke-ass college student.  You think I can pay for emergency car repairs in a timely manner?”

“Well,” Shay teased, “You are an ass...”

They laughed together.  They kept laughing and talking all the way to Shay’s little blue bug (“That’s so cute!”) and all the way through dinner (“These egg rolls have got me  _ wonton _ more!”  “Oh, that’s so bad.”).  Spending time with Cosima was great, almost too great.  It made her wistful and long for alternate reality where she had said yes in the first place.  

With full bellies and sore cheeks they filed out of the restaurant.  

“Do you want a ride home?” Shay asked, not wanting to sound too forward.

Cosima glanced up at the sky.  It was dark, darker than usual, the moon obscured by clouds.  “It looks like it might start drizzling.  A ride would be nice.”

“You’re not worried about me knowing where you live?”

“No.  Actually, I’m thrilled.”

Shay didn’t feel the need to scold her for flirting.  She knew she had been too.  God damn, she really wished she could change her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're into coshayphine and on tumblr, I have a blog set up. [coshayphinelove ](http://coshayphinelove.tumblr.com) if you want to follow that. I update multiple times a day and it's mostly just soft coshayphine headcanons and polyamory info. Anyway... thanks for reading!


	3. I See

Was it Tuesday again already?

She thought back on her week.  Delphine.  Cosima for dinner.  Yup.  It really had been a whole week.  She punched in in the back room and went about her morning routine.  

Before she could even be anxious, two o’clock rolled around.  And there she was.

Gorgeous.  Tall.  Funny.  Cute.  Delphine.  The reason she was kind of excited to get to work today.

“Bonjour, Shay!”

Shay felt a slight blush creep up her neck.  French, she’d forgotten French.  “Hey, Delphine.  You ready to get started?”

Delphine nodded excitedly.

“Well, come on over,” she gestured and started walking backwards towards the stretching mats.  “I built your workout.  It’s pretty easy to remember, so you can come in as many days a week as you want to work on it.”  She flopped down in the middle of the cushioned floor.

“Good,” Delphine grunted as she sat down.  She was looking a little more stiff than last week.

“You doing okay?”

Delphine shook her head at herself.  “Yeah.  I just... I tripped over myself at work and in order to not fall face first into a desk I caught myself weird.”

“Oh, man,” Shay laughed.  “There’s really no way to stretch a knee, but I can try to loosen it up with a little massage.  If you’re okay with that.”

“Okay,” Delphine said haltingly.

Was Delphine blushing?  It was hard to tell.  She mentally shrugged it off.  She’d given loads of warm up massages to plenty of clients.  Plenty of them had blushed too.  Something strange about a stranger rubbing your legs.

Shay leaned over Delphine’s legs.  “Which knee is it again?”  

Delphine pointed to her right leg. 

Shay nodded and wrapped both of her hands around the strong muscles of Delphine’s thigh.  She squeezed and rubbed and worked her way down to the top of her shin.  She repeated the process a few times, moving slightly over each time.  To finish, she put her thumbs on either side of the tendon and massaged all the way over her kneecap.

“Is that feeling better or should I run through it again?”

“No, yes.  That’s fine,” Delphine’s voice broke a couple of times.  She was definitely blushing now.

“Good.  You wanna get started for real now?”

Delphine smiled.  “Of course.”

Shay walked her through her new workout: light lifting and light running with incredible room to increase and improve.  Delphine went through it like a champ.  She was considerably less exhausted and pink when she got onto the treadmill to walk this time.  She was sweaty though.  Her muscles glistened and looked more defined as she moved and walked-

“Shay?”

She was startled out of her reverie.  “Hmm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.  Totally fine.  What’s up?”

Delphine giggled.  It was a cute and infectious giggle.  “I was just asking you where you are from but you seemed to have more important things to think about.”

“Nothing’s more important than you for the next,” Shay checked her watch, “ten minutes.  Why do you want to know where I’m from?”

Delphine shrugged, “You said that I had beaten you at getting back into working out but I never asked where it is that you were moving from.”

“Ah.  Canada.  Toronto, specifically.”

“Why San Francisco?”

Shay shrugged.  “I got out of college and wanted something different.  What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well,” Shay began drolly, “If I have to tell you then you have to tell me.”

Delphine laughed.  “I also graduated.  Last year.  I was working as a lab tech in Paris but then a much more lucrative company offered me a much better job.”

“Lab tech?”

“Yes.  I have my doctorate in immunology and a medical degree.  I now head research projects instead of doing the paperwork for other people’s.”

Shay raised an eyebrow.  She’s smart too.  “Congrats.  That’s way cooler than mine.”

Delphine chuckled, “I didn’t realize we were comparing.”

“Aren’t we always?” she asked philosophically.  Just as Delphine was about to answer Shay’s timer went off.  “Ah, saved by the bell.”

Delphine shook her head playfully and pushed the off button on the treadmill, “Just as it was about to get interesting.”

“We can pick it up next week?”

“Sounds good.”

And that’s how it was.  For the next month Shay and Delphine circled each other in the gym, only getting to talk to each other at length once a week.  It was nice.  It was friendly and happy.

And shit, it was flirting.

Why was she like this?  Shay scolded herself as she danced around almost asking Delphine out.  First Cosima now Delphine.  What was with her and getting crushes on people she worked around?  Why couldn’t she be normal and meet someone online or at a bar?  Why couldn’t she just be professional?

She shrugged that off.  She knew it wasn’t professionalism stopping her from pursuing.  Being in the military really fucked with her.  She was terrified of meeting someone at work.  She knew San Francisco was way more open minded than an active military unit.  She just couldn’t get past it.  

And Delphine was probably straight anyway.  

If she were going to date anyone at work, it would logically be Cosima.

She laughed at herself.  That would never happen.

She was ripped from her thoughts by a soft touch to her arm.  She whipped around, yanking her earbuds from her ears.

When she made it all the way around she saw a very startled Cosima.

“Shit!  Cosima!”

“Sorry!  So, so sorry!  I didn’t realize you had earbuds in!”

Shay took a calming, centering breath.  “Yeah.  It’s the perk of wiping the machines down.”

Cosima took a breath too.  “For the record I did say your name like, a bunch.”

“Yeah, no.  Of course.  What did you need?”

“Was that the new client that you wouldn’t tell me about?” Cosima asked pointing after Delphine.

Shay nodded.  The must have passed as Delphine left and Cosima came in.

Cosima sighed and watched longingly as Delphine got into the elevator.  “She’s hot.  And sweet.  And smart.  Did you know she’s already got her doctorate?”

A prickling feeling started at the base of Shay’s spine.  “Yeah.  She told me that’s why she came to live here.”

Shay watched as Cosima’s brain cranked and churned.  “Huh,” was the only thing that she let the world know was going on in there.

“Why?  Do you like her?” Shay asked and it tasted a little like pennies.

Cosima shrugged and looked back to Shay.  “I don’t know.  I’ve only talked to her the one time and she was really sweaty, so...  I don’t know.  There’s something there.”

“Huh,” was the only response she could give.  

“Yeah,” Cosima responded.  They were both lost in their own thoughts.

“So, what’s new?” Cosima asked.  

Shay shrugged and went back to wiping the machines down.  “Nothing.  I don’t really live an exciting life.”

“Oh, come on.  Life as a trainer isn’t exciting?”

“Not really,” Shay said, her tone clipped and short.  She knew she was being a little bitchy and that Cosima didn’t deserve it, but it was slipping out anyway.

“Huh, I would have thought differently.  Especially with attractive people like me and Delphine hanging around.”

Shay laughed good naturedly but ground her teeth.  

That was her next month: watching Delphine and Cosima circle each other in the gym.  

Jealousy was not a good feeling for her.  Especially now because she had no right to be.  Delphine and Cosima weren’t anything to her except for her friends.  Even then, they weren’t really friends.  They hung out where she worked.  

Shay sighed.  

She’d known Delphine for all of three months.  Cosima for a little over a year.  It wasn’t worth getting this worked up about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. Or not. There's really no plot here. Just happiness. Again I'm at [ coshayphinelove ](http://coshayphinelove.tumblr.com) on tumblr and I update that way more often than I update the longer things here.


	4. One Beginning

When Cosima had stumbled across Delphine in the locker room, she hadn’t expected to make a friend.She’d thought she’d just be staring longingly at her from across the gym.

But Delphine was smart and funny.She had a knowledge of the science that Cosima was constantly buried in.She was wickedly smart.And stunningly beautiful.

It was safe to say that Cosima was smitten. 

When they spoke, it was hard to tell if Delphine felt the same way.She flirted.Kind of.Something in Cosima was saying that Delphine was gay but something else was saying the opposite.Delphine would laugh and smile when Cosima would flirt but when it came time for her turn she grew bashful and awkward.

Normally she would just go for it, not worried if she freaked her out a little.But this time was different.She didn’t want to lose Delphine’s friendship.

That’s what they were.Friends.They met up at the gym almost every day.They texted and hung out after their workouts sometimes, Cosima usually showing Delphine some hidden gem of a restaurant that she only knew from living here for almost three decades. 

So the invitation that she gave to Delphine to go out to dinner that night was a totally platonic offer.Even if the restaurant she had in mind was a candlelit, romantic kind of place.

“It’s French,” Cosima provided, trying to persuade her.

“Yes, I could tell by how you could barely say it.”

Cosima laughed.“Then what’s the problem?”

“Every French restaurant I have tried isn’t anywhere close to what it is back home.”

“So you’d rather just slave away in your kitchen for the authentic experience?”

Delphine shrugged.“My grand-mère would approve.”

“Alright, how about this:you try it and if it’s bad you get to make fun of it the whole time,” Cosima suggested.

Delphine sighed theatrically, “I suppose I can handle one  t erribly Americanized meal.”

“Really?” Cosima asked, bewildered that she didn’t have to try harder.

“I could stand to go out more.And you seem adamant about this place,” she shrugged.

“Great!I’ll send you the address.Meet at like, seven?”

“Sure,” Delphine leaned in and kissed both of Cosima’s cheeks, as she had taken to doing, “I’ll see you then.”

Delphine turned and walked away towards the exit, her gym bag swinging at her side.Cosima was rooted to the spot.That was easier than she had anticipated.

She went home in a daze.Showered in elation.Dressed herself in shock. 

When she saw Delphine outside the restaurant, dressed to the nines, and smoking a cigarette she almost died.Her heart stopped for a solid fifteen seconds.

Delphine spotted her and a slow grin spread across her face.“Cosima.”

“Delphine,” Cosima croaked.It sounded a little husky and sexy so she wasn’t too mortified.

“I don’t know why,” Delphine smushed the butt of her cigarette on the trash can next to her, “But I half expected you to show up in a track suit.”

Cosima laughed.“I do own clothes that aren’t workout or lounge related.”She took a step closer and gestured up and down Delphine’s body.“You, however, look incredible.”

Delphine blushed.“Thank you.”She looked down at her shoes as she shifted her weight nervously.“This is a five-star restaurant.I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Well, you’re a five-star lady.I would never be embarrassed to bee seen with you.”

Delphine gasped out a little laugh and looked down.Cosima couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable or flattered, which made it hard to tell if she should feel sorry or proud.Instead of asking, she decided to change the subject.

“Wanna go in?”

Delphine nodded.

They got seated almost right away, which was surprising considering the caliber of this place.Just as Cosima had suspected Delphine looked incredible in the soft candlelight, the oranges making the different colors in her hair more noticable.

“So,” Delphine asked over her menu, “Do you know what you like from France or do you need me to help you pick?”

Cosima almost said that there was one particular thing from France she’d like to taste but thought that was probably definitely too far. 

“I actually did some googling so I can pick out my own food, thanks,” she laughed.

Delphine smiled.“Good.I thought for a moment you were so adamant about this place because you didn’t know what to order.”

Cosima snorted.“No, I have google for that.I have Delphine _Cormier_ sitting across from me.I’m gonna talk about something far more interesting than what’s good to eat here.”

“Do you know other Delphine’s?” she laughed.

“I guess not,” Cosima conceded. 

The waiter came back and and they ordered.Cosima had had trouble finding a vegetarian option.She made do without making any substitutions, Google had informed her that that was a big no-no in France. 

He came back with their wine right away but they both nursed their water before the meal.They mostly talked about work.Cosima’s dissertation and her advisors were equally as frustrating and stressful so she asked Delphine for tales of the ‘Real World’ of word after school.

“Honestly, it’s more of the same.”

Cosima frowned.“That’s disappointing.”

“Yeah… You still have people hounding you and thinking they know more than you when you’re the expert in the room.You have people in positions of power who definitely should not be there.”Delphine took a sip from her water glass.“At least,” she added, “You’re not getting graded anymore.”

Cosima laughed.“No, I guess not.But doesn’t your entire livelihood depend on doing grade-A work?”

Delphine scoffed, “If that were the case half of my coworkers should be fired.”

“Really?At DYAD?I thought they were the best of the best?”

“The company yes.You tell a bunch of entitled male scientists that they got recruited by ‘the best of the best’ they start to coast.”

Cosima’s eyes rolled so far back into her head her eyelids started to flutter.“Ugh.I hate male-dominated spaces.”She took a gulp of her wine.

“Yes!”Delphine lit up.“You know, I haven’t ever had a chance to talk like this with another female scientist.”

“Oh,” a sly grin crept across her face, “Let’s talk about the glass ceiling.”

Just as Cosima was getting into the theory of how things become considered ‘female-dominated’ the waiter brought their food.Over dinner they talked about how women have several different selves depending on the situation and the people surrounding them. 

When the bill came there was minor debate over who would pay.

“I asked you here, I should get it.”

“No you asked me out, I should get it.”

“Is that some weird French rule of etiquette?”

“No.It’s me trying to buy my friend dinner.”

“But you’re _my_ friend!”

“You’re still a student and this place is quite expensive.Please.”

“Nuh uh.I’m not taking your hard-earned dollars away from you.”

“Ladies,” the waiter cut in, “I can go back and split it.”

“Absolutely not,” was the response from the both of them.

It took a coin toss, seven rounds of rock, paper, scissors, and one nose goes before it was decided Delphine would get the check.

They walked out of the restaurant to the cool night air.Cosima instantly wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

“Are you okay?” Delphine asked.

“Yeah,” Cosima waved her off, “I just really should have grabbed a jacket before I left.Or tights.Or sleeves.”

Delphine smirked.She started to shrug out of her coat, “Are all native Californians this ill-equipped to handle slight changes in the weather?”She handed Cosima her coat.

Cosima rolled her eyes, “You are too nice, Delphine.Agreeing to come out with me?Buying me dinner?Now, your coat?” she asked as she shrugged into the sleeves.They were a little too long but it was warm and smelled like Delphine’s perfume.She huddled into it, not because she was that cold but because she wanted to be discreet while stealing whiffs.

“It’s just until we get to your car.”

Cosima laughed shortly, “I don’t have one of those.”

“Then just until we get to my car.And then from my car to your apartment.”

“Oh, my God Delphine!I can’t take a ride from you too!”

“You make it sound like these things aren’t freely given!I want to make sure my friends eats and gets home warm and safe.”

Cosima sighed.“I guess.”

“Come,” Delphine grabbed Cosima’s elbow and steered them towards her car, “This way.”

They piled into her car, the heat immediately turned up to high.

Delphine pulled out of the parking lot and Cosima told her the general area of where she lived.As they went, the conversation turned to Cosima’s dissertation.

“I just… Like I want to see a finished and approved one.But half of the ones I see are in my field and I don’t want to accidentally plagiarize them and the other half are online and in fields I don’t understand.”

“Would you like to see mine?” Delphine offered.

Cosima scratched her head.“I guess I have a working knowledge of immunology.Sure, if you’re willing.It’s not in French is it?”

Delphine laughed, “No.My school, because is was also an M.D. program, required us to do it in our second language.”

“What do those two things have to do with each other?”

Delphine shrugged, “I’m not sure.Something about being able to talk about things in multiple languages.”

“Glad that it was that important to you,” she said as Delphine changed lanes.“Uh, that was the turn.”

“My apartment is on the way.I can give you a copy right now.”

“Oh!Tonight!Okay.You’re fast, Cormier.”

Delphine just laughed.

It was much shorter to Delphine’s place that it would have been to Cosima’s.They piled out and made their way up to Delphine’s place.It was a small one-bedroom.The entryway served as the kitchen.There were three stools at the counter and no dining room or table.There was a couch in the middle of the living room and and a desk tucked into the corner.Across was a door, which Cosima assumed was the bedroom.

She offered wine and when Cosima agreed she tried to serve it. 

“I can handle this.You go look for your paper.”

“No, you’re my guest-”

“Who is entirely familiar with opening a bottle of wine.I got it.Please let me do something for you tonight.”

Delphine smiled, “I suppose.”

She disappeared into the living room which… was amazing.Old, gigantic bookshelves covered almost every wall.And the even better part was they were mostly filled with books.

Cosima came out with two glasses of wine and watched as Delphine hopped down from her desk.

“Got it?” Cosima laughed.

Delphine nodded and readjusted her dress, which had hiked way up her thighs in the climb.Cosima totally only noticed for safety reasons and no gay reasons at all.She hadn’t noticed how nice Delphine’s legs were, how strong and muscly they looked.Not.At.All.

They sat on the couch.It took them no time to jump right in and dissect Delphine’s dissertation.By the time they finished both the paper and the bottle Cosima was more informed on hosts and parasites than she had ever thought she would be.

“Does that help any?” Delphine asked after she explained why she wrote what she wrote.

“Yes, totally.Incredibly enlightening.”

“Good,” Delphine sighed.

Cosima looked over at Delphine.She’d let her hair down and it fell in kinked waves from the several bobby pins it took to hold it down.The soft light from the desk lamp made it so her pupils were wide open and her cheeks were flushed pink from the wine and the passion she had for science discussion. 

In short, she looked perfect.

Maybe it was the look that Delphine was giving her, affection and contentment, or maybe it was the wine but Cosima was emboldened.Her nerves were still there but there was something else, something stronger, that was pushing her forward.

“Delphine, I know this is kind of out of the blue but can I ask you a very blunt and very personal question?”

Delphine took the last swig of her wine and set the glass on the coffee table.She turned fully towards Cosima, folding her leg on the couch.“I suppose.”

She took a deep breath.This was it.The question she’d been wanting to ask for weeks.“Are you gay?”Cosima asked with trepidation.

Delphine’s jaw dropped and she looked away, her cheeks flushing a deep and splotchy red.“W-why do you ask?” 

“I just,” Cosima laughed at herself, realizing how much she had just put Delphine on the spot.She wasn’t supposed to be the embarrassed one right now.“I want to ask you out.”

Delphine head snapped back around, her mouth forming a a surprised ‘o.’

“Yeah,” Cosima looked down and fiddled with one of her rings.“I seem to be having trouble with my gay-dar and I just cannot tell if you are or not.And I didn’t want to freak you out if you’re straight because I value our friendship a lot.I wouldn’t want to scare you away.Or make you think that I don’t want you to be my friend.”

“I don’t think you could ever scare me away,” Delphine brushed Cosima’s shoulder with her hand before she folded them both in her lap.

Silence fell.Cosima didn’t want to rush her, push for an answer if she wasn’t comfortable.She also didn’t know how to change the subject.Like, at all.

“I’m not… I’m not gay.”Delphine squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.“I’m- well, I think.I’m bi.Bisexual.I- I like both genders.Rather, multiple genders.I think,” she rushed out.

Cosima grinned, both in excitement about the revelation and at how cute Delphine was.“Well, that’s good news for me then.”

Delphine opened her eyes and gave a breathy laugh, relief clear on her face.

“Can I ask another invasive question?” Cosima asked, bumping their knees together.

Delphine propped her face on her hand and scrunched her face up.“I guess.”

“You don’t have to answer,” she reassured.“But I was wondering why the ‘I thinks’ in there?”

“Well,” Delphine let out a short laugh at herself.“I- I’ve never been with a woman before.Or anyone who didn’t identify as a man. I realize that people can identify as bisexual with never having been with anyone but the scientist in me won’t let me.And this, euh…. How do you call it?”

“What?”

“A… big, sudden realization.”

“Epiphany?”

“Yes!This epiphany is very recent.”She smiled shyly.“Actually, I think you’re the first person I’ve told.”

Cosima rested her arm on the back of the couch and matched Delphine’s posture.“I’m honored.”

Delphine giggled and buried her face further in her hand.

“I’m serious!” Cosima cried.“I’m incredibly touched that you feel comfortable enough with me to tell me this new, scary thing.”

She smiled.“It’s nice to say it out loud.”

“So, uh… last inappropriate question of the night.I promise.”

Delphine laughed.“Well, you do know my deepest, darkest secrets now.What’s one more?”

Cosima laughed, too.But then she got nervous.It was mighty presumptuous to think that just because Delphine was bi that she would want to date Cosima.“I was wondering…” she trailed off.

Delphine leaned forward, encouraging her to keep going.

“Would it be okay if I was the first woman you tried dating?Can I ask you out?”

“I,” Delphine giggled.“I think I would like that.”

“Yeah?” Cosima’s heart soared.

“Yes.I would like that very much.”

Cosima let out a nervous chuckle.“Well, good!”She ran her hand over the back of her neck.She grimaced when her hand came back down drenched in sweat.She rubbed in on her sleeve.

Delphine watched the whole thing and giggled at her.Her cheeks were still splotchy and there was a slight tremble to her hand.She must have been feeling very similarly.

“So,” she started to distract Cosima from how sweaty she was.“What are we going to do on our first date?”

Her confidence returning she retorted, “Oh, I haven’t asked you out yet.”

“No?” Delphine asked and raised her eyebrows.

“No.Now that I know this is your first time, I’m going to woo you.”

“Woo?I don’t know what that is.”

“Court you.Be all romantic and shit.Make you swoon,” she teased.

Delphine giggled.“Romantic and shit?I’m curious to see what that entails.”

“It’s gonna be great.I promise,” she winked. 

They laughed together for a moment.The relief was palpable in the room.All their cards were on the table and nobody had gotten shut down.It was a win all around.Just as it was getting good, Cosima’s phone went off in her purse.

“Sorry,” she muttered and went to it.She pulled it out.It was just a text from her mom but she saw the time in the corner.She had an early class tomorrow and should probably sleep before it.“It’s getting kind of late.”

Delphine nodded with a small, unconscious pout.She stood and made to get her keys.

“Delphine, we’ve had a lot of wine since dinner.I’ll just get a Lyft.”

“Are you sure?You could just stay here.”

Cosima nodded.“And it’s not proper for me, a suitor, to be here with you, unbetrothed, at this hour,” she giggled.

Delphine laughed.“Oh yes.It could ruin our social standings if anyone ever found out.”She walked over to the small entry closet and opened it.She took out the same light coat as earlier and held it out for her.The look on Delphine’s face made it clear that refusal was not an option.

Cosima slid her arms in.“I will come back for you, my sweet,” she twisted, slid her hand up Delphine’s arm until she hand her hand in her own, and brought it up to her lips.She pressed a slow, solid kiss to the back of Delphine’s hand.

Delphine giggled and blushed deeper.It was probably a good thing that she was leaving.That much blood in her head was most definitely a risk.“You’d better,” she teased.She leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to each of Cosima’s cheeks. 

“See you later,” Cosima whispered, in a daze.

“Bye,” Delphine whispered, grinning.

Before Cosima could make a bad decision and go back on her chivalrous words, she stepped back.Delphine opened the door for her and she stepped out into the hallway.

“I’ll call you,” Cosima promised.

Delphine leaned on the doorway, a glint in her eye.“Okay.”

Cosima really wanted to go back and kiss her, but she wanted to do this right.She wanted to take care of Delphine like she wished she had been taken care of when she was first dating, when it was all shiny and new.She started backing slowly down the hall.

Delphine laughed at her.“What are you doing?”

Cosima smirked, “I just want to look at you for a little longer.”

Delphine shook her head and grinned.“Good night, you ridiculous tête d’oeuf.”

“Good night,” she cackled as she rounded the corner.She heard Delphine’s door click shut and turned to walk the right way.She grinned to herself and punched the air.She felt like a teenager, giddy and excited, her tummy full of varying sizes of flying animals.She hummed to herself in the elevator and summoned her Lyft.She skipped to the street corner. 

She had no idea how she was going to ask Delphine out.Or what they would do, for that matter.But she was beyond thrilled that it was going to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #tfw you double the entire fic length because you love soft and not scary conversations.


	5. Thought You Should Know

Shay had lost her vigor for going to work.The two people she looked forward to talking to were talking with each other.Not just talking.Flirting.And it was mutual, something she cursed herself for.She had read Delphine completely wrong. 

She didn’t dread them coming in, she just… didn’t look forward to it.It wasn’t an entirely negative feeling, it just wasn’t positive either.Watching them interact didn’t break her heart it just… hurt a little.Just a small (big) twinge.

She could now fully admit to herself that she was jealous.

The current session with Delphine was particularly bad because Cosima was working out on the same floor.Her shorts were shorter than usual and Delphine was distracted, to put it lightly.The elliptical arms seemed to be particularly feisty today, as they almost hit Delphine in the face multiple times.

It was when Delphine almost fell off of the Stair Master that she called over to Cosima, “Hey Niehaus!”

Cosima turned to her, stilling her hands so the jump rope fell loosely at her feet.“Yeah?”

“You almost killed Delphine.You wanna move?” she was almost half kidding.She was all for her relocating, it just… wasn’t entirely selflessly about Delphine’s survival.

Cosima smirked and looked at a flustered Delphine.“Alright.But only if Delphine answers a question.”

Shay turned to Delphine who giggled, “What?”

“Are you free Friday night?”

She nodded vigorously, her bun bobbing.

“Okay,” Cosima grinned.“Now you’re not.”She winked and then she went elsewhere, swaying her hips more than usual.

Shay had unintentionally played wingman and she was disgruntled.She turned back to Delphine.“So what was that about?”She was pretty sure but part of her needed to know all the details of this budding relationship that she was definitely not in.

Delphine giggled again.Shay was surprised.Delphine hadn’t struck her as a giggler.“Um, Cosima is going to take me on a date.”

“Really?” she had not known that they were there yet.Cool (not cool).

“Well, actually I agreed that she could ask me out on a date and she took that as a challenge to… what is the word she used?”A wrinkle formed in between her eyebrows and her mouth bunched up as she thought of the word (adorable).“Woon?”

“Woo?”

“Yes!”

“Ah.” 

She missed when Cosima would try to woo her.Shay sighed and reminded herself of how many times she turned away Cosima’s wooing.

“You know Cosima well?” Delphine asked tentatively.

“Yeah,” Shay sighed.“She’s been coming here for around a year now.We’ve hung out a couple of times, just checking out restaurants and stuff.I could call us friends.”(Only friends). 

Delphine flushed.“Does she…Does she ask a lot of people out?” 

Shay looked into her wide eyes and saw glaring insecurity.“No,” she reassured her.It wasn’t technically a lie.As far as Shay knew she was the only one who Cosima hit on (used to hit on).“I mean she’s really friendly but I don’t think she gets further than flirting.”As an afterthought she added, “And she’s the type of girl that would stop after getting into a relationship.”

“Okay,” Delphine sighed.Her face switched from scared to tentatively hopeful. 

It was really nice to see before the jealousy came back to niggle at the back of her mind. 

When it got down to it, she was happy for the two of them.They were both great people who had a lot in common.They deserved to be happy even it made her groan internally about going to work.

The rest of Delphine’s appointment went smoothly.She practically skipped out of the gym.Shay thought it was a little much until she remembered that she was probably going to get laid on Friday.Skipping didn’t seem so extra.

She was off early, so when she checked Delphine out at the front desk she punched herself out as well.She ducked into the locker room, ready to get un-sweaty and home.

“Hey!” a familiar voice called out.

Shay squeezed her eyes shut.She really didn’t want to talk to Cosima right this second.She wanted to wallow for at least an afternoon before she had to pretend to be happy for her.“Hey,” she replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Sorry about earlier, didn’t mean to, like, turn you into an accessory or anything,” Cosima teased as she toweled off.

“No problem.Always willing to help a friend,” she chuckled, trying very hard not to sound put out.(She was).

Cosima’s face fell.She hadn’t succeeded.“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah!Of course!” she blatantly lied.“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know…”Cosima turned to walk away but spun back around, finger pointing in the air, her face uncertain.“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No!No, of course not, Cosima.You… _you_ haven’t done anything.”

Cosima’s head tilted in that way that Shay found adorable and her eyebrows crinkled.“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Shay shrugged.“You don’t even know what _it_ is.”

Cosima rolled her eyes and nudged her elbow.“That’s part of the talking about it, silly.”

Shay breathed a laugh.“I don’t know…It’s my own fault, I’m just…” she gestured around her head, “Overthinking and wrapped up in my brain.”

Cosima sat on the bench and patted the spot next to her.

Shay debated for a moment.Did she really want to tell Cosima this?It was something she could easily (debatable use of that word) get over on her own.Cosima wouldn’t get mad.Cosima was the type to stop to make it easier for Shay to deal with her own shit. 

She bit her lip. 

Another moment of deliberation and she sat next to her friend, stiff and ready to bolt if she changed her mind.

“What’s up?” Cosima asked, her voice gentle.

Shay sighed.“I want to preface this with: it’s entirely my fault and my problem.Okay?You don’t have to do anything about it if you don’t want to.”

“I know,” Cosima nodded.

“It’s just,” Shay pressed her face into her hands and looked skyward, “I’m so jealous of you and Delphine, even though I have absolutely no right to be.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before Cosima said, “Pardon?”

Shay groaned at herself.“That bullshit rule I have,” her hands fell from her face.“It comes from when I was in the military.I was in while Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was a thing.”She looked at her bag resting on the floor.“The people I work with finding out I’m a lesbian makes my blood feel like ice.Dating where I work is- was never an option.It is now.”She laughed at herself, “And I was actually considering maybe doing it.”She chanced a look over at Cosima.“But the only two people I’ve thought about breaking my rule with are about to start seeing each other, so…”

Cosima was watching her with sad eyes.“We beat you to it?” she finished for her.

“Yeah.All that personal growth and I was still too slow.”

Cosima reached for her haltingly.  “Would a hug hurt or help?”

Shay smiled, “Hugs always help.”

Cosima smiled small and pulled her in.“Aw, shit!I forgot we were all sweaty!”

Shay laughed.“S’okay.I spend eight hours a day sweaty and in spandex.I’m used to it.”

She could feel Cosima fake shudder.“I think you just described the tenth circle of hell.”

Shay laughed again, her hurt quickly fading to the background. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.I know it’s not my fault but… I don’t know…I wish I could’ve done something,” Cosima murmured.

Shay shook her head.“Just be happy.Treat her right.Make sure she treats you right.”She pulled out of Cosima’s arms.“Thank you, for listening.I feel a lot better now that… well… now that you know I cock blocked myself.”

“Hey,” Cosima play scolded, “I helped cock block you.We were a team.”They shared a small smile.“And I’ll tell Delphine.We’ll cool it around - ”

“You don't have to - ”

“You’re our friend, Shay.You deserve to be as happy as possible.”She shrugged awkwardly, “I mean… as happy as you can be, given the circumstances and the fact that we’re the reason for your discomfort.”

Shay looked down and smiled sadly, “Okay.”She took a moment to collect herself but then shook her hair out of her eyes, slapped her hands onto the bench, and pushed herself up.“I would love to sit here and get sappy all day, but I do have a cat at home who gets grumpy with me when I don’t feed her on time.”

Cosima grinned, “That’s fair.”

“I will see you later,” she said as she grabbed her bag off the floor.“And if I don't see you before, good luck asking Delphine out and good luck on your date.”

“Thank you.I will pass along your well wishes.”

Shay nodded and turned.She walked out of the locker room with her head held high. 

Only after she arrived home, fed Ingrid, and fed herself did she have to wipe a few errant tears away.She may or may not have cried in the shower, the hot water streaming around her making it hard to tell.(She totally did.)

When she stepped out and curled into her fluffiest towel, she felt lighter.She’d dealt with her problem head on and preserved her relationship with her friends. 

Take that not-jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is like.... the least angsty angst i've ever written. and it only gets fluffier from here. who replaced me? who hired a new writer for this??


	6. Jitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone made an art of the haircut i wrote for cosima in this chapter!! not like, for me... but like... kinda same idea, same time but then i procrastinated finishing this chapter... and bc my links i've been making have been redirecting to the archive here is this unsightly mess to copy/paste!!
> 
> http://starconfetti.tumblr.com/post/163579545424/starconfetti-hey-so-uhhh-soft-butch-cosima
> 
> i mean what's even the point of knowing how to code if i can't make pretty links?  
> anyway, enjoy!!

Maybe the haircut had been too much.She was already so nervous to ask Delphine out, adding on a major change to her look did not help as she got ready.

Cosima ran her hand through the buzzed hair at the back of her head.At least the hair dresser was able to keep it a little longer at the top and a few curls formed on top of her head.  She hadn't necessarily wanted the undercut to be buzzed, but there wasn't anything she could really do about it.  But the longer she had it the more she grew to like it.

She sighed and tried combing it the other way.

After flipping it back and forth three more times she threw her comb away from her.It was almost a guarantee that Delphine was going to say yes.That one hundred percent probability went down significantly if she spent the entire night in her bathroom futzing with her hair.

She slipped into her olive jeans, white dress shirt, and black blazer.She’d laid it out three days ago.Well, she’d laid out a significantly different outfit three days ago and changed her mind several times.The only thing that was the same as the first outfit was her matching underwear. 

She was not going to let herself change her mind now because she was not going to be late to this.

She did one last check of her makeup and moved into the living room.She checked her phone.

**Delphine Cormier: If you won’t tell me what this date you haven’t asked me on yet is, could you at least tell me what I should wear?Formal?Casual?**

Cosima smiled to herself. _Ideally, nothing._

She typed out **Semi-formal.** and left it at that.

She went to the kitchen and pulled the small bouquet of daisies that she had bought last night out of the fridge.She pressed her face into them and took a sniff.Perfect.

**I’m about to leave to come get you.Are you ready?** she sent to Delphine.

**Just about.**

Cosima grabbed her keys and hustled to her car. 

It wasn’t until she was knocking on Delphine’s door that her palms started sweating again.She reached up to brush a lock of hair into place but the door opening startled her hand back down.

Delphine was beautiful, absolutely stunning.She was wearing a white sundress with black accents on her sides.Her hair was in a messy updo and she was grinning at Cosima, who realized she was gaping.

“Hi,” Cosima croaked out.

“Hi,” Delphine laughed.“You got your hair cut.”

Cosima nodded and ran her fingers through it, “Yeah.I’d been meaning to for a while.Someone explained cultural appropriation to me and that is so not what I meant when I got the dreads.So…”

Delphine reached her hand out and gently brushed the hair right over her ear.“It’s cute.”

“Thanks,” Cosima blushed and looked down.Flowers!The flowers were still in her hands.“I- I got these for you,” she extended her arm.

“Thank you!” Delphine took them and smelled them.“They’re beautiful.”

“Good,” Cosima took a deep breath, steadying herself and her confidence coming back marginally. 

“Let me put them in some water,” Delphine murmured.She waved Cosima after her as she dipped into her apartment.

Cosima leaned against the doorframe, “I got them to butter you up a little.”

“For what?” Delphine giggled.

“I really, really want you to say yes to my question.”

Delphine filled a glass with water and slid the flowers in.She looked over the island coyly as she adjusted the flowers.“Wouldn’t that require you to actually ask a question?”

“Yes.Uh, Delphine… Would you like to… Maybe join me tonight?There’s this really cool event thing and I think you would really enjoy it.”

Delphine giggled.“Mmm, I don’t know… There is this girl and she promised me a grand wooing… I don’t want to double book myself.”

Cosima laughed and moved into the apartment to look at Delphine over the flowers.“You’re really being picky aren’t you?”

“I was promised romantic shit.”

She reached for Delphine’s hand, interlaced their fingers, and brought it close to her heart, “Delphine, will you do me the honor of being my date to an art gallery tonight?”She brought the back of Delphine’s hand to her lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her soft skin.

Delphine bit her lip.“Yes, of course, Cosima.”

Cosima grinned and heaved a sigh of relief.“Good.”

Delphine walked back around the island and stood in front of Cosima.She ran her hands over Cosima’s lapel and straightened imaginary crinkles out of it.“There’s just one thing I want to do first.”

“What is that?”

Delphine’s hands moved from her jacket to her cheeks.  Cosima blinked up at her.  Delphine ran a thumb over Cosima’s bottom lip.  Cosima's knees turned to jelly.  Delphine looked back into Cosima’s eyes and moved her face slightly closer in question.Cosima nodded in encouragement and tried to roll onto her toes even further in her heels.

Delphine pressed their lips together.At first it was tentative and gentle but when Cosima pressed her palm into the small of Delphine’s back she could feel Delphine’s confidence surge.

Their bodies pressed against each other and Cosima felt Delphine groan where their chests met.When Delphine’s tongue slipped into her mouth she gently nipped it and pulled away.

Delphine’s face looked like Cosima had just stolen her puppy.“Did I do something wrong?”

“No!No, of course not!No!”Cosima wrapped Delphine in her arms firmly.It took all of her will power to say, “No, I just don’t want to be late.”She pressed a lingering kiss to Delphine’s lips, her cheek, and nuzzled into her ear, “I also wanna save some of that for later,” she whispered. 

Delphine shuddered.“Okay.”

Cosima pulled back, “Yeah?”

Delphine nodded, “Allons-y.”

Cosima took one of Delphine’s hands in her own and pulled her towards the door.After it was locked tight they made their way down to her car. 

“You know…” Cosima started as she opened the car door for Delphine.

“What?”

“Just a sec,” Cosima firmly closed the door after Delphine climbed in and smoothed her dress down.She sprinted around the back of the car and opened her own door.“I got my car fixed for this too.If that doesn’t count as wooing…”

Delphine laughed.“Be still my heart.”She leaned over the console and kissed Cosima’s cheek. 

Cosima giggled and blushed.She turned forward towards the steering wheel and dragged her hand over her neck.God this was going so much better than she had hoped.Except now she was stunned into silence by her gay reaction to Delphine.

Delphine settled into her seat as Cosima pulled out of the parking spot.

“So you’ve told me very little about what I’ve agreed to.Is it some kind of surprise?”

Cosima laughed, “No.There’s something about mystery that makes things seem more exciting, though.”

Delphine rolled her eyes.“So I don’t get to know until we’re there?”

“I guess not,” she sassed.

It was a short drive, just couple miles over.Delphine watched the city go by out her window, seemingly fascinated.She had her hand on Cosima’s knee the whole way.It was nice but Cosima had to be extra cautious so as not to kill her date in a terrible, hormone-driven, vehicular accident.

When they arrived and parked, Cosima bolted around the car to open Delphine’s door for her, but she wasn’t fast enough.

“You know,” Delphine scolded as she stood, “I can open a door and get out of a car on my own.”

Cosima offered her arm and closed the door for her.“Yeah, but what kind of crummy date would I be if I didn’t at least try to fuss over you?”

Delphine just shook her head and pressed another kiss to her cheek.“So do I get to know what we’re doing now?”She took Cosima arm and pressed into her side.

Cosima cleared her throat, “I suppose.”She gestured down the sidewalk and started walking.“There’s this art gallery up here and they’re doing an installation of LGBT+ art.Either the artists, subjects, or both are part of the community.I figured since you’re new here, the city and the community, you’d enjoy it.”

“That sounds very interesting.”

They arrived at the front door.Cosima swung it open and Delphine went in, not even protesting her chivalry. 

They were both handed a brochure before they entered the main room.It was dimly lit, as the only light in the room came from the display lights hanging over the pieces. 

And there were pieces.Everywhere.Huge, small, paintings, photographs, sculptures.Anything one could imagine was there covered in rainbow offlags.

They linked arms again and walked around in silence.It took some effort to look at individual pieces and not get overwhelmed by the visual noise the packed gallery had.

After a while, Cosima remembered that she was on a date and turned to Delphine.“So what do you think?”

She blew a breath through relaxed lips.“It’s… A lot.”

Cosima smiled.

“I never would have gone to something like this in France.”

“Why not?”Cosima had an inkling, but she wanted to hear it for sure.

Delphine laughed softly.“I would have been too scared.I guess it was still too new then.”

“But now?”

“It’s been a few months,” she shrugged.“I’ve gotten used to the idea that I am not straight.”She grinned and pinched Cosima’s side with her free hand.“And I have a very beautiful guide that brought me.”

“Aww, shucks,” Cosima teased.

From then on the viewing of the art was peppered with talking.They went form piece to piece talking about things from their art experience -

(Delphine didn’t get much because she had skipped grades and the first thing they skipped over to make sure she kept up was the arts.Cosima had too much because her parents are hippies and thought that art was fundamental to development.Neither of them could figure out why she was forced to paint her feelings until she was twenty-two, though.)

\- to their dating experiences. 

“Yeah, I dated a guy like that too,” Cosima said with an eye roll.“Why is it always the pretty ones who can’t give you an orgasm?”

Delphine snorted and almost choked on some of the complimentary lemonade.“Well…Mine was pretty and dumb, but he was…We had very good sex.Which is why I found it so hard to break up with him.”

Cosima giggled an, "Ahhh," of realization.

After a moment of thought Delphine asked, “I thought you were a lesbian?”

“Well, there’s compulsory heterosexuality.And I don’t really know if I’ve experienced it or if I was genuinely into the guys I have dated.So, like, on some level I think I may be a lesbian.But there’s still that part of me that’s like ‘but wait, there’s that one time,’ ya know?It’s a process.  But the part of my head saying 'lesbian' is getting louder than the other part.”

Delphine nodded, contemplating.

“Sorry,” she rushed out, suddenly fearing that she had overshared.“That’s a lot.”

“No!It’s good to know.Now I will be more careful with my words.”She squeezed Cosima’s arm in comfort.“It’s also nice to know that there are other people who are still figuring it out.”

Cosima smiled.“Yeah.”

They smiled at each other softly, the simple act of not knowing bringing them closer together.  

The light behind Delphine made her glow.There was something in the way that the air felt then, Cosima knew deep in her subconscious that she would remember this look for a very long time.Her conscious, and maybe her id, just leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to Delphine’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know everybody is hype abt the finale, but i've had this /almost/ done for a while and just wanted to get it out there before i started on anything new.


End file.
